In one of the worst campaigns of mass slaughter since World War II, more than 2.5 million civilians have been killed in Sudan over decades of brutal conflict between north and south, in Darfur in the west, and in other regions.

Since the 1950s, the Arab-dominated government of Sudan, centered in the capital Khartoum, has tried to impose its control on the country’s African minorities living along the nation’s periphery. The result has been a deadly mix of ethnic, religious, and politically motivated conflicts.

Though the north-south civil war ended in a peace agreement in 2005, which ultimately led to South Sudan's independence in July 2011, violence has continued in other parts of the country. Citizens in Darfur and the border areas between Sudan and South Sudan remain at risk, and the Sudanese government continues to restrict humanitarian access to certain areas.